Development and application of precision tools for improving monitoring of horse welfare in different contexts.
A brief description of the project
To date, horse welfare is assessed through the application of protocols including several animal-based measures (ABMs).
Its evaluation relies on direct observation and manual recordings of ABMs by a trained observer and, for this reason, the continuous surveillance of the animal is still not possible.
Specific contexts, such as sport competition or hospitalization, might require an in-depth monitoring of welfare as they induce disruptions in horses’ daily routines and management that could highly affect their welfare.
Existing technology (precision tools) can assist in noninvasively monitoring horse behavior and welfare automatically, in a real-time and continuous manner.
Still, before precision tools can be reliably applied on farm, validation studies are needed.
The overall goal of this project is to identify and validate precision tools that can be non-invasively applied to monitor horse behaviour in different contexts, such as sporting events and hospitalisation.
The project will address this issue by integrating behavioural, physiological and numerical approaches to the validation of available technology (e.g., accelerometers) to monitor behaviours crucial for horse welfare (e.g., sleep).
The development and application of precision tools will include the following steps:
(I) identification of potential technology;
(II) analysis of possible advantages and limitations;
(III) experimental studies to develop the algorithm;
(IV) validation studies in different contexts (sport events and hospitalisation).
Student and post graduate internship at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (OVU), Equine Department, from October 2022 to December 2023 and from January 2024 to July 2024.
Master’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine at University of Milan (UNIMI) in December 2023 with a thesis on the evaluation of the influence of personality on equine behavioral problems.
I am deeply interested in ethology and behavioral medicine of horses and donkeys.
Publications: Orcid
Supervisor Prof. Emanuela Dalla Costa
Co-supervisor Prof. Silvia Michela Mazzola
